Following the resignation of Fred Sanchez, the Park Hill Board of Education has the task of appointing someone to fill the vacancy on the school board.

Interested applicants are encouraged to contact Della Wooddell, board secretary, by 4 p.m. on Friday, November 2. The board will conduct interviews on November 7 at 6 p.m.

Considered applicants must be a citizen of the United States and a resident of Missouri for at least one year prior to their appointment. They must also currently reside in the Park Hill School District, be at least 24 years old, and eligible to hold office pursuant to Missouri law.

The applicant selected by the board will remain in place until April 2013. Voters will then be given the opportunity to elect the next school board member to serve the remaining two year term.

The vacancy occurred when Fred Sanchez voluntarily resigned from his position on Tuesday, October 16 after attending a school board meeting with a gun strapped to his angle. Sanchez told the board he was stepping down since the district has a zero tolerance policy on bring weapons onto school premises.

Sanchez claimed that at the time of the incident he was ill and forget the gun was strapped to his ankle. A fellow school board member noticed the weapon and asked him to remove the weapon.

When asked whether he received internal pressure to step down Sanchez said, “The speculation and banter that something sinister has occurred is irresponsible and directly undermining the authority of the administration and politicizing the veracity of a policy that keeps the children safe. This angry posture must calm itself.”